WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PREVIEW: Lions vs. Northwest Missouri State
WHEN: Feb. 22 | 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: St. Charles, Mo. (Hyland Arena)
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/lindenwood/wbball/
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/lindenwoodlions/
LIVE AUDIO: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/lindenwoodlions/

Lindenwood Notes:
- Kallie Bildner is one of the top performing players in the NCAA this season. The sophomore forward is ranked in the top 10 nationally in rebounds per game (11.9, fifth) and defensive rebounds per game (9, sixth). Bildner also ranks 11th in double-doubles (14) and 33rd in points per game (18.7).
- Bildner is one of 28 players in NCAA DII to average double-digit rebounds this season. The last Lion to record a double-digit rebound average for an entire season was Vanessa Zailo in 2014-15 (13.0 rpg).
- Bildner has scored 449 points so far this season. She is the second Lion to score 400+ points in a season in the NCAA era. No player has ever scored 500 points in the NCAA era. 
- The Lions are 15th in the NCAA in field goal percentage. Lindenwood shoots 46.1% from the field this season. The Lion record for field goal percentage is 46.8%, recorded in the 1992-93 season. 
- Lindsay Medlen has notched 82 assists for far in 2017-18. Since joining the NCAA, only one Lion has collected 100 assists in a single season (Jenny Rocha with 114 in 2014-15 and 2015-16). 
- The Lions have made great adjustments at halftime this season. The Lions average 21.6 points in the third quarter, Lindenwood's highest scoring quarter. 
-The Lions feature of pair of forwards in Kallie Bildner and Gabby Walker that score 18.7 and 12.8 points per game, respectively. Bildner leads the MIAA in rebounding (11.9 per game) while Walker is third in the conference in field goal percentage (.545).
- The sophomore trio of Kallie Bildner, Lindsay Medlen and Gabby Walker are thriving in MIAA games. Bildner (who has won three MIAA Athlete of the Week honors) leads the team with 17.3 points per game in MIAA action. Bildner is the only player in the conference to average double-digit rebounds (11.5) in conference games. Walker posts 11.5 points per game on .503 shooting. Medlen averages 11.6 points per game. 
- Point guard Lindsay Medlen has kicked into a new gear in MIAA games. In conference games, her scoring average has gone up 1.6 points per game. Sara Ross has also seen an increase, scoring an additional 0.9 points per game. 
- The Lions have been crashing the boards in 2017-18.  Lindenwood is 17th in NCAA DII in rebounding margin at 7.8.
- The Lions have scored 100 points in a game twice this season. Lindenwood defeated Central Christian College of the Bible 113-30 on Dec. 1, setting program records for points in a game and margin of victory. The Lions then scored 112 points against Robert Morris-Springfield on Dec. 19, the second-most points in a single game in Lion history.
- Lindenwood is 21st in NCAA DII with 77.6 points per game, the top mark in the MIAA this season. They are on pace to score 2,172 points this season, which would be third all-time at Lindenwood.
- Gabby Walker and Kallie Bildner are two of the top shooters in the MIAA. Bildner leads the conference with a .578 shooting percentage, 17th in the NCAA. Walker is third in the MIAA at .545, 26th nationally. The only other team in the NCAA with two players in the top 26 is No. 1 Ashland. 
- Against Southern Arkansas on Nov. 10, Bildner was 16-16 from the free throw line, the best such performance by a Lion in the NCAA era. She is the second Lion to ever record the feat (Jamie Bonney on 1/29/2000). The LWU record for free throws made is 19 by Jamie Bonney on March. 10, 2000.
- Head coach Tony Francis enters his eighth season at Lindenwood as the program's only coach in the NCAA era. He has a career record of 103-121.

Postseason Picture:
- With two games remaining, the Lions have secured a spot in the 2017-18 MIAA tournament. 
- If the Lions pick up one win (or Northeastern State loses), Lindenwood cannot finish lower than 10th in the MIAA. With two wins, the Lions could move into ninth, if Southwest Baptist loses its final two games (at Fort Hays and at Nebraska Kearney). 

Northwest Missouri Notes:
- The Bearcats enter the weekend 4-21 overall and 3-14 in MIAA games. 
- Northwest shoots a lot from beyond the arc. They are 18th in the NCAA with 8.3 three-pointers made per game. The Bearcats are 28th with 619 three-point attempts. 
- Individually, Tanya Meyer is eighth in the MIAA with 16.2 points per game and fourth with 8.9 rebounds per game. The duo of Jaelyn Haggard and Mallory McAndrews make 2.4 and 2.2 three-pointers per game, second and third in the MIAA, respectively. 

Series Notes:
- Ealier this season the Lions defeated the Bearcats 84-56, Lindenwood's largest margin of victory in an MIAA game since 2015.
- Lindenwood is 6-4 all-time against Northwest Missouri. 
- Bildner has 61 points and 22 rebounds in three career games against Northwest Missouri State.